[sarex] ISS STATUS REPORT 3ss04-010

[Arthur Z Rowe <n1orc@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

    Submitted by Arthur - N1ORC - Amsat #31468


Allard Beutel
Headquarters, Washington                      May 21, 2004
(Phone: 202/358-4769)

INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION STATUS REPORT: SS04-010

     Aboard the International Space Station (ISS), the 
Expedition 9 crew is closing out its first month in space 
with a busy week of spacewalk preparations that included a 
spacesuit dress rehearsal.

During the check of U.S. spacesuits on Wednesday, Commander 
Gennady Padalka and NASA ISS Science Officer Mike Fincke 
discovered a problem with the cooling system in Padalka's 
suit. Additional troubleshooting and further checks are 
planned.

The suit checkout was conducted in preparation for a 
spacewalk to replace a failed power controller on the 
Station's truss. The repair is expected to restore power to a 
Control Moment Gyroscope (CMG), which lost power in April. 
Two other CMGs on the Station continue to operate well and 
are controlling the complex's orientation. The spacewalk is 
expected to take place no earlier than June 16.

The suit checkout was planned to last about seven hours, but 
it was cut short when Padalka reported no cooling. He 
reported small bubbles and froth in the water supposed to 
circulate through lines to provide the cooling. Today, 
Padalka and Fincke drained and replaced the water in the 
cooling system of Padalka's suit. Tomorrow, they're scheduled 
to check Padalka's refilled suit cooling system to verify 
water will circulate. If needed, they also may test the 
operation of a check valve in the system.

During the Wednesday dress rehearsal, the cooling system for 
Fincke's suit also experienced brief problems, but a sticky 
valve was quickly identified as the likely cause. It's not 
considered a concern for his suit's operation.

If the troubleshooting is successful on Padalka's suit, 
several steps remain before spacewalk plans are finalized, 
including another U.S. spacesuit dress rehearsal. If needed, 
the spacewalk could be done in Russian Orlan spacesuits.

Also this week, Station ground controllers fired the Progress 
(13) spacecraft engines for 11 minutes, boosting the 
Station's altitude by 2.3 statute miles and adjusting its 
inclination by one one-hundredth of a degree.

Progress (13) is to undock from the Station Monday at 5:19 
a.m. EDT, clearing the way for the arrival of a new Progress 
supply spacecraft. Progress (14) is scheduled to launch at 
8:34 a.m. EDT Tuesday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in 
Kazakhstan. The new Progress will dock Thursday at 9:55 a.m. 
EDT. The maneuver will be carried live on NASA-TV.

In addition to fuel, food and supplies, the new Progress will 
bring U.S. spacesuit gloves, sized specifically for Padalka 
and Fincke, as well as other suit components.

The Expedition 9 crew also continued science work this week, 
conducting body scans using an ultrasound device. This is 
part of a research program to determine whether minimally 
trained crewmembers can perform advanced examinations with 
the assistance of a doctor in Mission Control. After 
computer-based training last week, the crew spent two 
sessions this week with body scans including scans of the 
elbow, knees, abdomen and chest.

The crew also replaced the hard drive in the Space 
Acceleration Measurement System, a system that provides data 
for a research program measuring how small vibrations may 
affect nearby sensitive experiments such as crystal growth 
studies.

For information about NASA and agency missions on the 
Internet, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov

Information about crew activities on the Space Station, 
future launch dates, and Station sighting opportunities from 
Earth, is available on the Internet at:

http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/

Details about Station science operations are available on an 
Internet site administered by the Payload Operations Center 
at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., 
at:

http://scipoc.msfc.nasa.gov/

-end-







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